Physics - Electricity, MWO
(ENGE610007)
Topic 14
Interference and Diffraction
Arie Pangesti Aji, Ph.D
Outline
1. Interference and Coherent Sources
2. Two source interference
3. Intensity in interference patterns
4. Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction
5. Single slit diffraction and intensity
Interference and Coherent Source
▪ Interference refers to any situation in which two or more waves
overlap in space → principle of superpositions
▪ In optics, sinusoidal waves are characteristic of monochromatic
light (light of a single color)
▪ Incandescent light bulbs and flames emit a continuous
distribution of wavelengths
▪ Monochromatic source example is the laser (emits red light at
632.8 nm)
▪ Two monochromatic sources of the same frequency and with a
constant phase relationship (not necessarily in phase) are said to
be coherent
▪ When waves from two or more sources arrive at a point in phase,
they reinforce each other (double the amplitude as the resultant
wave) → constructive interference
▪ If the individual wave amplitudes are equal, and the path
difference is a half wavelengths, then the total amplitude is
zero→ destructive interference
Two-Source Interference of Light
▪ The interference pattern produced by two coherent sources of water
waves of the same wavelength can be readily seen in a ripple tank with a
shallow layer of water
▪ For light waves, interference can be studied by slit experiments
▪ A monochromatic light source is not suitable for interference experiment
because emissions from different parts of an ordinary source are not
synchronized → the light is directed to a screen with a narrow slit S0 , thus
slit S0 behaves more nearly like the idealized source
▪ The light from slit S0 falls on a screen with two other narrow slits S1 and S2
▪ Cylindrical wave fronts spread out from slit S0 and reach slits S1 and S2 in
phase because they travel equal distances from S0
▪ The waves emerging from slits S1 and S2 are therefore also always in
phase, so S1 and S2 are coherent sources
▪ The interference of waves from S1 and S2 produces a pattern in space like
that to the right of the sources
▪ In modern versions of the experiment, a laser is used as a source of
coherent light, and the slit S0 isn’t needed
Two-Source Interference of Light
Constructive and Destructive Two-Slit Interference
▪ Constructive interference occurs at points where the path difference
is an integral number of wavelengths, mλ, where m = 0, ±1, ±2, ±3, …
▪ So, the bright regions on the screen occur at angles θ for which
▪ Destructive interference occurs (dark regions on the screen) at points
for which the path difference is a half-integral number of
1
wavelengths, (m + )λ
2
▪ The distance from the center of the pattern (θ = 0) to the center of
the m-th bright band is
▪ We can measure R and d, as well as the positions ym of the bright
fringes, so this experiment provides a direct measurement of λ
interference fringes
Intensity in Interference Patterns
▪ To obtain the intensity 𝐼 at point 𝑃 of interference, 𝐼 is equal to the average magnitude of the
Poynting vector
▪ The maximum intensity 𝐼0 which occurs at points where the phase difference is zero is
▪ The intensity 𝐼 at any point in terms of the maximum intensity is
Fresnel and Fraunhofer Diffraction
▪ Diffraction is a situation when light strikes a barrier that has an aperture or an edge, and
formed an interference patterns
▪ Both the point source and the screen are relatively close to the obstacle forming the
diffraction pattern as near-field diffraction or Fresnel diffraction
▪ Fraunhofer diffraction is when the source, obstacle, and screen are far enough apart that
we can consider all lines from the source to the obstacle to be parallel
Single slit Diffraction
▪ According to geometric optics, the transmitted beam should have the same cross section as the slit
▪ What is actually observed is the pattern where beam spreads out vertically after passing through the
slit
▪ The diffraction pattern consists of a central bright band, which may be much broader than the width
of the slit, bordered by alternating dark and bright bands with rapidly decreasing intensity
▪ In general, the smaller the width of the slit, the broader the entire diffraction pattern.
Dark Fringes in Single slit Diffraction
▪ The condition for a dark fringe is
▪ With the wavelength is often much smaller than the slit width, θ are often so small that the
approximation sin θ = θ is a very good one
▪ If the distance from slit to screen is x, and the
vertical distance of the m-th dark band from the
center of the pattern is ym, then tan θ = ym/x
▪ For small θ we find that
Intensity in the Single-Slit Pattern
▪ This equation expresses the intensity directly in terms of the angle θ
▪ In many calculations it is easier first to calculate the phase angle β using
▪ And then
Summary
▪ Monochromatic light is light with a single frequency. Coherence is a definite, unchanging phase
relationship between two waves
▪ Two-source interference of light experiment is done by young’s double slit experiment
▪ The order in young’s double slit experiment is based on the m-th bright fringes
▪ Diffraction occurs when light passes through an aperture or around an edge
▪ Monochromatic light sent through a narrow slit of width produces a diffraction pattern on a distant
screen
▪ The order in single slit diffraction is based on the m-th dark fringes
Exercise 1
Coherent light with wavelength 450 nm falls on a double slit. On a screen 1.8 m away, the
distance between dark fringes is 4.2 mm. What is the separation of the slits?
Exercise 2
A two-slit interference experiment in which the slits are 0.2 mm apart and the screen is 1 m from
the slits. The m = 3 bright fringe in the figure is 9.49 mm from the central fringe. Find the
wavelength of the light.
Exercise 3
Coherent light with wavelength 400 nm passes through two very narrow slits that are separated
by 0.2 mm, and the interference pattern is observed on a screen 4 m from the slits.
(a) What is the width (in mm) of the central interference maximum?
(b) What is the width of the first-order bright fringe?
Exercise 4
You pass 633-nm laser light through a narrow slit and observe the diffraction pattern on a screen
6 m away. The distance on the screen between the centers of the first minima on either side of
the central bright fringe is 32 mm. How wide is the slit?
Exercise 5
Monochromatic light from a distant source is incident on a slit 0.75 mm wide. On a screen 2 m
away, the distance from the central maximum of the diffraction pattern to the first minimum is
measured to be 1.35 mm. Calculate the wavelength of the light!
Homework 14
Check EMAS!